Honeydew produced by the brown soft scale,Coccus hesperidumL., is a search stimulant for the parasitoidMicroterys flavus(Howard). Solvent extraction and paper chromatography were used to characterize and identify the active chemicals. The results indicate that fructose and sucrose and an unidentified ninhydrin component are active.The role of the honeydew in stimulatingparasitoidsearching and retention in host infested areas is discussed. Although honeydew was a major factor in host searching, shape also played a role in the host selection process.